There are many kinds of systems available for instruction in many subject areas and disciplines, including language instruction; and there sadly remain a great plurality of persons worldwide who would profit by being able to learn many subjects and disciplines, including languages, but have no access to any of the many available systems. The present inventor believes that an important reason for this disparity is that instruction by any of the systems in the current art is relatively expensive, and therefore out of reach for most people. For example, not everyone has access to formal schooling, either public or private. In the inventor's opinion, public schooling, being in general government-controlled and operated, is becoming increasingly more ineffective as time goes by, and private schooling is more scarce and expensive. For a single example, in California, which is the home state of the present inventor, there are many immigrants from Mexico and other regions whose natural language is not English, and who would profit greatly from an easily accessible and inexpensive system that could help them learn English.
Outside of schooling systems, there are, particularly in such areas as language instruction, many for-profit enterprises that provide instruction systems, including such as cassette-tape instruction systems. These sorts of instruction systems tend to be quite expensive, and are therefore outside of the ability of many to acquire. Such audio learning systems, often combined with written material, as known in current art, also have other drawbacks in addition to expense. Such systems, in order to minimize production costs, are typically based on audio tape. A common drawback of tape-based systems is that it is difficult to quickly seek and access specific portions of audio. One has to rewind the tape, fast-forward or fast-reverse, for example, and replay a small portion, sometimes with several tries, to find a desired portion for review.
Another common sort of instruction system is computer-based, including CD-ROM and Web-based systems. These, because a high-end computer is required, and an ability to use the computer, not to mention Internet access, are simply completely out of reach for the large majority of people who need instruction most.
What is clearly needed is a system in which the audio component is based on digital audio, allowing rapid seek and access, and using the least costly digital memory available. The system needs to be based on apparatus, as well, that is inexpensive, rather than on computers that have a lot of characteristics and abilities not needed for the task at hand. A system that meets these objects, and that can reach and help many times more people than systems in the current art, is taught in enabling detail below.